♦The Teaching Wiki has migrated to the WetPaint system, and this has eliminated a tremendous amount of the problems with spam and inappropriate content that many wiki websites encounter.

♦A small group of members have taken the lead in generating content for the website, but to date the site is neither widely-known nor widely-used. Informal networks are currently being exploited to generate additional content before an anticipated publicity effort about the website to all SIOP members, to occur later this year (see below).

3.Promote the SIOP Teaching Wiki website to potential users

Actions to date:

♦As noted above, E&T hopes to enhance the content on the website prior to a major publicity effort to SIOP members. We also anticipate including textbook publishers in our publicity efforts in hopes of having links to the website included in ancillary materials prepared for I-O textbooks.

4.Assess the current state of education and training in consulting and business skills in US I-O master's and Ph.D. training programs, and to compare this with employers' perceptions of the preparedness of new I-O Ph.D.s in terms of the basic business and consulting skills.

Actions to date:

♦The committee completed and presented the results of a pilot survey at SIOP 2008. The committee is now engaged in completing the project, including surveys of four constituent groups (1: employers of recently-graduated I-O degree-holders; 2: recently-graduated I-O degree-holders; 3: faculty in doctoral and master’s training programs; and 4: current students in doctoral and master’s training programs). A report is anticipated to be available for SIOP 2009.

5.(a) Re-develop the I-O Ambassadors Program so that it can begin to achieve the goals that were initially set for it. (b) Have Ambassador visits to local colleges, universities, and high schools begin in Spring, 2009. (c) Have an Ambassador “blitz” of New Orleans immediately before and during the SIOP 2009 Conference.

Actions:

♦A Coordinator for the Ambassadors program has been recruited, and she will be working with the SIOP Office to contact the previously-listed volunteers before generating new lists. She is beginning to explore contacts with Psi Chi as an initial foray for Ambassadors, and will be updating the prepared PowerPoint materials that are provided to Ambassadors before their visits. We anticipate having contacts made with local Psi Chi chapters before the end of 2008, with visits commencing in Spring of 2009.

♦We are also working with the Conference Committee to do a “blitz” of Ambassadors in the New Orleans area during the SIOP conference, and have recruited a local New Orleans contact to work with the Ambassadors Coordinator for this project.

6.Develop materials for graduate students on research funding opportunities and strategies for acquiring research funding.

Actions to Date:

♦This goal carries over from last year, when little was done to pursue the goal. A committee, including new faculty members who received research funding while they were graduate students, is being put together to gather information on funding opportunities and strategies.

7.Design a home on the SIOP website for Education/Instruction-related materials, so that they can all be accessed from one central location (as well as from other appropriate locations within the website). For example, an instructor teaching Introductory Psychology could go to a single page on the SIOP site to find modules previously developed by E&T members, and while there would see information on the Ambassadors program and might decide to ask for an Ambassador visit. He or she might also then see the TIP articles about teaching I-O written by the Distinguished Contributions in Teaching Award recipients, and the link to the Teaching Aids WetPaint site, and thus find tremendous help in preparing for lecture(s) that incorporate I-O topics.

Actions to Date:

♦E&T is working to develop a clear proposal to the SIOP website management about the materials that could be included on the centralized resource page. When our proposal is clear, it will be brought to the Executive Committee and to the website management.

8.Pursue the acquisition of several hundred audience response system devices (“clickers”) for use at the SIOP Conference and other events. Session proposals could include requests to use clickers as part of their presentations, including in events like plenary sessions, debates, etc.

Actions to Date:

♦ Our thought is that we might approach publishing companies who supply clickers to classroom instructors about the possibility of “sponsoring” the SIOP conference by donating clicker equipment. Having their technology in the hands of instructors and academic decision-makers could be appealing to these companies. E&T has discussed this idea with Dave Nershi, and Dave (though skeptical) thought that it was worth having further conversation about the possibility of pursuing a large in-kind donation in exchange for “sponsorship” of the conference.